1. Field of Invention
This invention pertains to propellable toys; that is, toys which will move after some input of energy by the child playing with the toy. More specifically, this invention pertains to a toy intended for use primarily by children of preschool age, although the inventive concepts claimed herein may be used in toys for older children.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Toys for the play and enjoyment of small children are as old in the art as man. Surely, one of the first things early mother wanted was something to amuse her small child. Countless varieties of what have come to be referred to as "Preschool Toys" have been designed and developed. Preschool toys are typically intended for children of age 6 and less and are generally considered to be a separate classification of toys. These preschool toys can be broadly classified into three categories: firstly, toys that are designed for operation by an adult for the amusement of the child; secondly, toys that are designed for operation by the child himself; and thirdly, toys that are designed for adult/child cooperative operation.
Because the child at this age has undeveloped coordination and manual dexterity, such preschool toys of the second category must be designed for simple operation. Additionally, toys of this type must be designed to be as safe as possible, not only for the child playing with the toy, but for other children who may be in the vicinity, and for furniture and other objects which may be in the play area. For these reasons, preschool toys are often constructed of soft material such as the toy shown in Manning, U.S. Pat. No. 3,835,583.
Still, any preschool toy must be sufficiently "fun" to first attract, and then retain the attention of a preschool youngster, whose attention span may be quite short and volatile. For this reason, toys that "do" something are preferable. The thing that most preschool toys of this type do, is move. A favorite type of toy is the vehicle or animal that has wheels. Movement of the toy can be accomplished in a great many ways. A toy can be moved by the application of external force, such as a toy vehicle which is simply shoved along the ground by an adult or the infant himself. Other toys can be made self-propelled by the use of batteries, fuel or other power source. Still another method for moving the toy is by utilization of an internal windup mechanism, or something of that type.
Each of these types of toys have heretofore been subject to one or more drawbacks.
The toy which must be pushed or shoved along the ground typically does not prove to be a sufficient attraction to the child, and the child could quickly lose his interest in such a toy. This is a major drawback for a toy which cannot retain the attention of a child is no toy at all. The electrical or fuel-driven type toy is not well suited for preschool children for safety reasons. Lastly, the windup type toys are generally not suited for preschool because the windup mechanisms are not suited to the capabilities of a high number of preschool children. If a toy cannot be easily operated by the child, many children become frustrated and upset. This, of course, is undesirable, as a toy is to entertain the child, not upset him.
There therefore exists a need in the art for a toy which will provide to the child maximum pleasure while demanding no greater physical dexterity than a typical preschool child is likely to possess.